Warnings on wall cladding ignored

THE cut-price cladding blamed for the Grenfell Tower inferno was installed against the maker’s advice that it was too dangerous to use on high buildings, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Manufacturers’ instructions say it is ‘crucial’ that the panels should not be fitted above 10 metres (32ft). Yet contractors installed them on the full 24 floors of the block, reaching 67 metres (220ft). Housing chiefs in Kensington and Chelsea now face an investigation over the work, carried out at a cost of £2.6m. Using the dangerously flammable panels, instead of a fire-safe option, saved just a few thousand pounds.

The contractors, Harley Facades, will also come under scrutiny in the official inquiry.

The panels which transformed Grenfell Tower from a safe tower block into a deathtrap were made by the US company Arconic.

Called Reynobond PE, they are made from aluminium and polyethylene, which is also used to make plastic bags and bottles.

Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday from Arconic clearly show that its cladding products containing polyethylene (PE) should not be used on buildings over a height of 10 metres. Arconic said: ‘It is crucial to choose the adapted products in order to avoid the fire spreading to the whole building. Especially when it comes to facades and roofs, the fire can spread extremely rapidly.

‘It is especially crucial for public establishments. Buildings are also classified according to their height, which will define which materials are safer to use. Another important rule when

it comes to the height of buildings concerns the accessibility of the fire brigade – as soon as the building is higher than the firefighters’ ladders, it has to be conceived [sic] with an incombustible material.’

Last night, safety expert Phil Barry, of the CWB consultancy, said: ‘It is disturbing and shocking that these panels were used in the tower, contrary to the manufacturer’s instructions, especially as you’ve got Arconic stating it in black and white. It also demonstrates the inadequacy of the building regulations in this country that polyethylene can be used as an ingredient in cladding materials. I simply don’t understand why it is still being used in high-rise buildings in the UK.’

The addition of the polyethylene and aluminium panels to Grenfell Tower last year meant that the tower had to undergo a new fire risk assessment. However, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) responsible for the building refused to release any of the report’s contents.

The KCTMO chose the safety consultants that put in the cheapest bid to carry out work.

The Mail on Sunday can also reveal how:

A major blaze inside Grenfell Tower in 2010 was successfully contained, suggesting the building was safe before the flammable cladding was added;

The horror of the blaze could be repeated as thousands of tower blocks across Britain have not been inspected by fire officials, and may also have been fitted with flammable cladding;

The company responsible for Grenfell Tower last year vowed to challenge the London Fire Brigade over ‘excessive’ safety recommendations;

A safety audit of tower blocks in the borough was cancelled last year due to a shortage of firefighters.